Different diets for dogs: choosing the best diet for your dog

Choosing what to feed your dog can be one of the most important decisions you make as a pet parent. With so many options available — from dry kibble and canned food to raw, homemade and fresh diets — it can be difficult to know which is best.

The truth is that there is no single “best” diet for every dog. A suitable diet depends on factors such as your dog’s age, breed, activity level, health status and individual preferences. The most important thing is ensuring your dog receives complete and balanced nutrition that supports their overall health and wellbeing.

In this guide, we’ll explore the different diets available for dogs, including their benefits, potential drawbacks and which dogs they may be best suited for.

In this article we discuss the following dog diets:

• Kibble – a dry diet
• Canned – a wet diet
• Raw diet
• Homemade diet
• Vegetarian diet
• Grain-free diet

What Nutrients Do Dogs Need?

Regardless of the type of food you choose, all dogs require a balanced combination of nutrients to stay healthy.

1. Protein

Protein provides essential amino acids that help build and maintain muscles, organs, skin and other tissues. High-quality animal proteins are commonly found in commercial dog foods.

2. Fat

Dietary fats provide energy and help support healthy skin, coat, brain function and nutrient absorption.

3. Carbohydrates

Although dogs do not have a strict dietary requirement for carbohydrates, they can provide a useful source of energy and fibre.

4. Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals support numerous bodily functions, including immune health, bone development and metabolism.

5. Water

Fresh, clean water should always be available. Water is essential for digestion, circulation, temperature regulation and overall health.

Kibble – a dry diet

Dry dog food, commonly known as kibble, remains one of the most popular feeding choices for Australian dog owners.

Benefits of dry food

• Convenient to store and serve
• Generally more affordable than other feeding options
• Long shelf life
• Easy to measure portions
• Available in formulas for different life stages and health conditions

Potential drawbacks

• Lower moisture content than wet food
• Quality can vary significantly between brands
• Some dogs find dry food less appealing

Best suited for

Dry food is often a practical choice for healthy adult dogs, busy households and owners seeking a convenient feeding option.

Dry dog food is typically the most economical and least time-consuming, as it can be bought in bulk and fed exactly as it comes, straight out of the bag. Dry food generally contains 90% dry matter and 10% water. However, it can be moistened with water or topped with wet food to increase the moisture content and/or improve the palatability.

The general advice out there is to buy the most premium brand of kibble that you can afford. This is easier said than done; there is a vast array of dry food available and the ingredients, as well as the prices, can vary significantly. How do you know if you are comparing apples with apples? Is the quality of the protein the same? What fillers and additives are used?

It’s important to look at both the ingredients list and the nutritional profile on the packaging – and to know what these mean – when considering a particular product. Read the label, advises the American Kennel Club – and look for a food that has a protein as the first ingredient, not a grain. The best kibbles have a single source of protein, such as lamb or chicken. Other ingredients include grains, cereals, fats, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and preservatives. Be aware that some brands are heavy on carbohydrates or have low-quality ingredients and added sugar; these are best avoided.

In order to accurately compare prices of different dry foods, it’s helpful to work out the cost per serving rather than the cost per bag or per kilogram, as a seemingly cheaper product may turn out to be more costly than you think if it requires a comparatively greater volume per serving than a more premium, nutrient-dense product.

Nevertheless, trying to compare the myriad options of dry dog food can be a really difficult and time-consuming job that is likely to leave many of us ready to throw in the towel. Fortunately, there are a few websites that have done the hard yards for us with detailed analyses and reviews of many of the popular brands, ranging from budget to premium. As well as doing your own research, it’s worthwhile having a look at these:

• https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/ (Australian website)
• https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ (US website)

Another helpful recommendation when it comes to kibble is to rotate between several high-quality brands every 3 to 4 months, if your dog tolerates food switches. Rotating brands after a few months helps you find out what works best for your dog in the short- and long-term. However, it’s not recommended to mix different types of kibble when feeding a predominantly dry diet, because the formulas used by the different brands are probably not the same, so your dog may land up not getting all the nutrients he needs.

Canned – a wet diet

Wet dog food contains significantly more moisture than dry food and is often highly palatable.

Benefits of wet food

• Higher water content can support hydration
• Often more appealing to fussy eaters
• Easier to chew for some senior dogs
• Available in a wide variety of flavours and formulations

Potential drawbacks

• Generally more expensive than kibble
• Shorter shelf life once opened
• Can contribute to increased feeding costs in larger dogs

Best suited for

Wet food may be beneficial for senior dogs, picky eaters, dogs with dental issues or pets that need additional hydration.

Wet dog food contains significantly more moisture than dry food and is often highly palatable. Interestingly, many of the same ingredients are used in canned pet foods as in dry kibble, but not in the same ratios. Most notably, canned foods contain a much greater percentage of water: typically 68% to 78%, as well as higher amounts of meat, poultry or fish products and animal by-products. Many canned pet foods contain textured proteins derived from grains, such as wheat or soy, but again, there is a great amount of variation between different brands and products.

Some dogs find canned food more palatable than dry food. It is more expensive though. Does that make it better than dry food? Not necessarily; it depends on the quality of the ingredients and the nutritional benefits of each product. Should you buy it? That depends on personal circumstances, including budget, convenience, your dog’s preference and sometimes, the advice of your veterinarian.

According to the Dog Food Advisor website, compared to kibble, the premium wet dog foods contain more protein, fewer carbs and no preservatives (because they are pasteurized and sold in a sealed can). They are also more appetizing and easier to chew, making them a good choice for puppies, smaller dogs and seniors. On the downside, premium wet food can be unaffordable when feeding larger dogs.

On the plus side, wet food can be fed in combination with dry food (together or as separate meals) to make it go further, improve palatability and increase water content. However, once opened, wet food has a short life span as it can quickly become contaminated with harmful bacteria. Any food still remaining in your dog’s bowl after 4 hours should be discarded, and unused portions must be refrigerated and used up within the recommended time (usually a maximum of 5 days).

Raw diets for dogs

Raw feeding has become increasingly popular among some dog owners. These diets typically consist of raw meat, organs, bones and sometimes vegetables.

Potential benefits

Supporters of raw feeding often report:

• Improved palatability
• Firmer stools
• Improved coat condition
• Greater enjoyment at mealtimes

Potential risks

Raw diets also present challenges and risks, including:

• Nutritional imbalances if not properly formulated
• Exposure to harmful bacteria such as Salmonella
• Bone-related injuries or digestive complications
• Increased food handling and storage requirements

Important consideration

If you are considering a raw diet, it is important to seek advice from your veterinarian or a qualified veterinary nutritionist to ensure the diet is complete and balanced.

Raw diets comprise foods based on meat, bones and offal (organ meats) that have not been cooked, mimicking as best as possible how canines eat in the wild. These diets are typically higher in protein and fats and lower in carbohydrates than other types of diets. Despite the controversy surrounding them, raw diets have become increasingly popular in recent times, and as such have received a lot of attention.

There are two main types of raw meat–based diets: home-prepared and commercial. Home-prepared raw diets may follow a variety of feeding regimens, including BARF (Bone and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), the Prey Model Diet, the Ultimate Diet, and the Volhard Diet. Raw eggs, raw vegetables, natural yoghurt and fish oil may be supplemented, depending on the approach. Commercial raw meat–based diets most commonly are fresh, frozen, pasteurized, or freeze-dried. A variety of raw dried or freeze-dried pet treats also fall under this category.

Advocates of raw diets are typically a passionate group of pet owners who promote raw diets for health and philosophical reasons. A core belief is that raw meat–based diets are the natural and evolutionary diet of dogs (and their wolf ancestors) and that domestic dogs have never evolved into being able to digest and absorb commercial pet foods.

Health benefits of a raw diet, according to its proponents, include superior general, gastrointestinal and oral health and increased longevity, along with a shinier coat, healthier skin, smaller stools and increased energy. These improvements arise partly because the benefits provided by natural enzymes in food are not destroyed by the cooking process.

Critics of raw diets cite the risk of nutritional imbalances (deficiencies and/or excesses) if the diet is not formulated properly, as well as the potential of bacterial or parasitic contamination and food poisoning (of both owners handling the raw meat and dogs consuming it). They state that studies have found an association between raw feeding and faecal presence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in dogs; additionally, freezing, dehydration or freeze-drying do not kill all bacteria in food.

Another concern regarding raw diets is that nutritionally imbalanced or contaminated diets may lead to health issues or contribute to clinical signs of disease. The diet’s detractors counter the claim that raw meat feeding is more natural or evolutionary correct by providing evidence that the genetic makeup of domestic dogs is not the same as that of wolves.

Homemade diets for dogs

Some owners prefer preparing meals for their dogs at home to have greater control over ingredients.

Advantages

• Greater control over ingredient quality
• Ability to tailor meals to individual preferences
• May assist dogs with certain dietary sensitivities under veterinary guidance

Challenges

• Time-consuming to prepare
• Can be difficult to achieve complete nutritional balance
• Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies if recipes are not professionally formulated

Important consideration

While homemade diets can be successful, they should ideally be developed with input from a veterinary nutrition professional.

Some owners prefer preparing meals for their dogs at home to have greater control over ingredients. In general, home prepared diets can be more expensive than commercially available diets, and of course, they are also more time consuming to prepare. Pet owners also need to be aware which human foods are safe for dogs, and which can be toxic and must be avoided.

The benefit of homecooking is that is allows for the diet to be customised around your own food preferences and dietary philosophy, using fresh, high quality ingredients that are easy to source and may already be in your fridge.

Disadvantages include preparation time, variable quality control and diet consistency, a higher cost than dry dog food, and the difficulty in formulating and preparing a nutritionally complete and balanced diet. In fact, the main reason many people are afraid to feed a home prepared diet, even if they believe that their dogs would benefit from it, is their uncertainty about what nutrients dogs require and in what quantity to keep them healthy.

This is a real concern – to provide a complete and balanced homemade diet, owners must be aware of the dog’s specific nutritional needs, otherwise they may inadvertently deprive their pet of essential nutrients. Online homemade diet resources will not necessarily provide adequate information and recipes. If you want to provide homemade meals for the bulk of your dog’s nutrition, consultation with a veterinary nutritionist is generally recommended to ensure that your homemade diet is consistent, safe and nutritionally adequate.

A potentially more costly but more nutritionally balanced and time efficient option is to subscribe to one of the growing numbers of local freshly cooked dog meal providers, such as Lyka (recipes formulated by their in-house vet) and Jack and Chelo (recipes formulated by a chef, a food technologist and a pet nutritionist).

Because it is difficult to predict the costs of veterinary care, it can help to have measures in place to help prepare for the unexpected. Pet insurance can help by covering a portion of the eligible vet bill if the unexpected does happen.

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Vegetarian diets for dogs

Dogs are omnivores and can obtain nutrients from both animal and plant sources. However, vegetarian and vegan diets require careful planning

Can dogs eat vegetarian or vegan diets?

Some dogs can successfully eat carefully formulated vegetarian or vegan diets that meet recognised nutritional standards.

Challenges

• Ensuring adequate protein quality
• Meeting amino acid requirements
• Maintaining long-term nutritional balance

Important consideration

Owners considering these diets should seek veterinary guidance before making significant dietary changes.

If a plant-based dog diet sounds like an oxymoron to you, do a quick Google search – there has been a growing interest in recent years in the topic of vegetarian and vegan diets for dogs. Dog owners who have ethical, sustainability or other concerns about eating meat, as well as those whose dogs have certain skin conditions, digestive issues and food allergies, may, under veterinary guidance, feed their dog a vegetarian diet.

The fundamental question facing owners who are considering this option is whether a plant-based diet is adequate for their pet. According to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), “dogs can potentially receive all their required nutrients from a vegetarian diet, but the company producing these diets should be carefully evaluated because these diets are harder to formulate and many vegetarian sourced nutrients are not as easily absorbed and metabolized by dogs as animal-sources ones.”

Vet Voice, a website that provides the latest veterinary information from the Australian Veterinary Association, in an article addressing this topic, states that dogs are adapted to a more omnivorous diet that includes meat and plants. However, the dogs’ gut is still better adapted for meat protein-based diets, while plant-based diets with a higher amount of fibre can be more difficult for the canine gut to adequately digest.

Nutrition is a complex area, and the exclusive feeding of vegan or vegetarian diets to dogs can mean your pet is at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies and other ill effects. The inadequate intake of total protein (plant material is generally lower in protein percentage than meat), the imbalance of certain amino acids (chiefly taurine and L-carnatine) and the lack of micronutrients that are ideally obtained through animal products – B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and iron – are of particular concern. So, it is very important to speak with your veterinarian for nutritional advice specific to your dog from the outset, to ensure its ongoing welfare and optimal health.

Presently, there are only a few commercial vegetarian dog foods available in Australia and the market is still fairly limited, particularly in terms of locally sourced and manufactured products. If you are exploring this type of diet, you may find the following sites helpful:

• Veganpet is an Australian company that produces a dry extruded vegan food using only Australian grown ingredients (chickpeas are the main source of protein), as well as Veganpet vegan tinned dog food (potato, carrots and peas), vegan treats and pet care products.
• Vpets is local company that exclusively supplies premium vegan pet food manufactured overseas – brands include Benevo dry dog foods from the UK (containing soya and white rice) and Yarrah Organic Vegan wet and dry dog food from the Netherlands (containing soya beans, white lupine, wheat and rice protein).
• Greenpet has a small range of vegan foods for dogs, including V-Planet Vegan Kibble which is manufactured in the USA (pea and lentil proteins are the main source of protein).

Home-cooking a meat-free diet that is complete and balanced is notoriously difficult, and you will without a doubt need help from a veterinary nutritionist. The inclusion of eggs and/or dairy in the diet (i.e. vegetarian instead of vegan) will make things easier, both in terms of available nutrients and palatability.

Grain-free diets

Grain-free dog foods have become increasingly common, but they are not necessarily healthier for every dog.

What does grain-free mean?

Grain-free diets exclude ingredients such as wheat, corn, rice and barley. These ingredients are often replaced with alternatives such as potatoes, legumes or peas.

Is grain-free better?

Not necessarily. Most dogs can digest grains perfectly well, and true grain allergies are relatively uncommon.

When might grain-free diets be appropriate?

Grain-free diets may be recommended in specific cases where a veterinarian has identified a dietary sensitivity or other medical need.

There are some concerns around a possible (some would say tenuous) link between dogs eating grain-free dog food and a rare heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Naturally, pet owners are now more confused than ever whether grain-free is a good or bad option for their dog.

It is likely that some dogs that will benefit from a reduced grain or reduced carbohydrate diet – for e.g., those suffering from skin problems and gastrointestinal upsets may be much improved with a grain-free diet. Obese and diabetic dogs may benefit immensely from a reduced carbohydrate food product, with approval from their vet. Interestingly, Irish setters appear to have a breed susceptibility to coeliac disease, which requires management with a strict gluten-free diet.

Those in favour of including grains in the diet argue that grains such as wheat, barley, corn and rice are carbohydrates, which are an important energy source, and one of the six basic nutrients required for a healthy life (i.e. water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals). Additionally, they say, dogs are not true carnivores; they can digest and utilise the starch from grains in cooked dog food, while the indigestible fibre from grains contributes to their intestinal health.

Dog food manufacturers like to include grains because they are relatively cheap. Typically, the lower the price of the product, the higher the grain content and lower the protein content (and the corresponding nutritional value). Your dog is unlikely to thrive on a diet made up of poor quality grains or grain fragments, which is what most cheap dog foods are comprised of.

Note that most grain-free dog foods are not carbohydrate-free. They utilise vegetables and/or legumes for carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, lentils and/or peas. These ‘wholefoods’ contain nutrients that may be beneficial to the dog, as well as being an good source of fibre. When comparing different grain-free products, once again it comes down to analysing both the quality and quantity of the ingredients used.

Which diet is best for your dog?

The best diet will depend on your dog’s individual needs and life stage.

1. Puppies

Growing puppies require specially formulated diets that support healthy development and growth.

2. Adult dogs

Most healthy adult dogs do well on a complete and balanced maintenance diet.

3. Senior dogs

Older dogs may benefit from diets formulated to support ageing joints, weight management and changing nutritional needs.

4. Active and working dogs

Highly active dogs often require increased calories and protein to support their energy expenditure.

5. Dogs with health conditions

Dogs with allergies, kidney disease, diabetes, obesity or other medical conditions may benefit from specialised veterinary diets.

If you’re unsure which diet is best for your dog, speak with your veterinarian for personalised advice.

Signs your dog’s diet is working

A suitable diet should support your dog’s overall health and wellbeing.

Signs your dog is thriving on their diet may include:

• Healthy body weight
• Consistent energy levels
• Healthy skin and coat
• Good muscle condition
• Normal stools
• Healthy appetite
• Overall vitality and wellbeing

If you notice changes in your dog’s weight, digestion, skin, coat or behaviour, it may be worth reviewing their diet with your veterinarian.

Comparing the different diets for dogs

How to change your dog’s diet safely

When switching your dog to a new food, gradually introduce the new diet over 7–10 days. Start by mixing a small amount of the new food with their current diet and slowly increase the proportion each day. A gradual transition can help minimise digestive upset and allow your dog to adjust to the new food. If vomiting, diarrhoea or other concerning symptoms occur, consult your veterinarian.

Final thoughts

When it comes to choosing a healthy diet for your pet, the choices can seem overwhelming. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to feeding dogs. Whether you choose dry food, wet food, a fresh diet, homemade meals or another feeding method, the most important consideration is that your dog’s nutritional needs are being met.

A balanced diet, regular veterinary care and ongoing monitoring of your dog’s health can help ensure they enjoy a happy, healthy life.